I decided to go to a local 99 cent store (instead of the actual Dollar Tree) to find some items to sell. Our local 99 cent store tends to have more of overstock items rather than Dollar Tree brands...so I thought I might have some better luck this way.
I had a goal to only spend $10-$15 on items to "test".
I bought about 10 items, and here is what has sold so far:
Queen Anne Chocolate Covered Blueberries. I put a note in my listing that they would melt in delivery most likely, and I was not to be held responsible. They actually just sold last week for $18.95. Shipping was 8.00 and they cost me about $3 for all three. After fees I made about $6.00
Beverly Hills Polo Club "Crazy Bright" Socks. I knew these might possibly do well since bright socks for men are in style right now. Large lots of these actually sell well. I opted for two pairs, and listed them for 12.95. Shipping was about $2.00, and I paid $2.00 for them. About a $7.00 profit after fees.
Cashmere Bouquet bar soap. I'm not lying, my eBay cabinet smelt like my grandmas house with these babies in there. It was a pleasant smell, and actually all the clothes I had listed started kind of smelling like this soap... I am not sure if that was good or bad.
Paid $1.00 for a 2-pack. Sold for $6.95. Shipped for $3.00. About a $2.00 profit (Boo!)
Another box of Queen Anne. I wish I bought more of this kind. This one box sold for $19.95. Paid $1.00, shipped for $5.95. Overall profit about $12.00
Father of the Bride DVD. A quick sale, especially because for new DVDs eBay lets you use their stock photos. Paid $1.00, sold for $5.95 minus the $1.99 Shipping. About $2.50 profit.
OVERALL:
Invested money: $8.00
Profit: $29.50
I definelty made some money back, but was it worth it? Probably not. For as many thing as you have to list to get about $30 back... I feel like I could do that with 1-2 of my regular items I list.
However, because this was just a trial run, my items were kind of all over the place. If I had focused on one item, like the French Vanilla Cherries for example, I could have made a large profit. If I had bought ten boxes of those that could have been a $10 investment, to make a $100+.
So can it be done at the Dollar Store? Yes. But carefully. You have to know what it going to get you a decent profit so your not wasting you time with things that make you $1-3 dollars in return. Its not worth your time for such a small return.
Have any of you ever tried sourcing at your local Dollar stores? Please share!
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I've found that at the holidays you can bundle together certain toy items from these kinds of stores and do fairly well. I think that, like you did, you just have to try some things and see which items will make you the most profit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post Ashley! I often wonder if things at the DT are worth buying to resell. Once I saw these really nice coffee flavorings in nice bottles. I bought one of each flavor. I liked them so much that I went back to buy more and they were all gone! They've never had them again. I think they were maybe some kind of closeout. No doubt, whoever cleared the shelf was a reseller. They were as good a quality as the stuff we used at the donut place (DD) I worked at.
ReplyDeletewow! Im impressed. my 99 cents store has a small section of thrifted clothes. I have found juicy couture and torrid there! But other than that, i havent really tried getting inventory there. I may have to!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a 99 cent store nearby, but we do have a dollar tree. I'll have to check into that and see what I can find!
ReplyDeleteDollar Trees have phased out most .99 stores around here. I can't think of even one off-hand but those socks are pretty nice and easy to ship.
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